All-time Best

Each year, on March 8th, the world celebrates women–International Women’s Day. It is one day when women visibly get their due around the world–in terms of acknowledgement and their contribution to society at large. The world of sports, too, has had women who have been pioneers not just in the sporting arena but also outside […]

In a new series, Martin Keady, our resident tennis historian, looks back at a momentous event in tennis history through the prism of a current event or tournament. It was a vastly different world that Roger Federer bestrode in February 2018, but then it was a vastly different Federer who bestrode it. When the great […]

Damon and Naomi are a fairly successful dream-pop/folk duo who emerged from the ashes of their parent (and far superior) band, Galaxie 500. By contrast, Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic could be the duo who dominate tennis for years to come – if not quite 500, then certainly quite a few. Four times a year, […]

Novak Djokovic may have wrapped up a ninth Australian Open triumph in routine fashion, but his path to the title in Melbourne was anything but straightforward. The Serbian world #1 had to battle with an abdomen injury that may have cleared up by the final, but certainly bothered him in at least three of his […]

Unfortunately, the 2021 Australian Open threatens to be the most memorable of all Australian Opens, because it is still possible that it might not take place or that it begins and then has to be cancelled, because of the Coronavirus outbreak that forced the suspension of all the warm-up events in Melbourne this week. If […]

Winning a Grand Slam title is the ultimate goal for all professional tennis players. The Australian Open has, though, eluded even some of the game’s all-time greats. The Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup is missing from the trophy haul of some of women’s tennis’ finest players. With the 2021 Australian Open set to begin, here is […]

Winning one of tennis’ four Grand Slam tournaments is the pinnacle of achievement in the sport. The Australian Open (then known as the Australasian Championships) became the last event to be selected as a major tournament by the ILTF (now the ITF) in 1924. The year’s first Major did not always match the French Open, […]

How many times did you hear someone comparing a young talent to a member of “the Big 3”? We’ve all heard it plenty, and none of those times was true because they are unique players. That’s why comparing young talents to Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, or ROger Federer is a mistake. Nonetheless, some people tend […]

Ahead of the ATP Cup next week, Martin Keady, our resident tennis historian, takes a look at the history of international team tennis tournaments, from the Grandaddy of them all – The Davis Cup – to the newest arrivals, like the ATP Cup itself. Tennis may be the greatest individual sport, but it also has […]

It finally happened. For the first time since 2016, someone not named Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer won a Grand Slam title. Granted, Djokovic had to get himself disqualified for it to happen, but it happened nonetheless. That, followed by Daniil Medvedev’s scintillating unbeaten run to victory in the ATP Finals in London […]

The thing about miracles, sporting or otherwise, is that they are almost never repeated, and yet that is exactly what Roger Federer is hoping to achieve this year. Four years on from his own “Miracle in Melbourne”, when he won the Australian Open to claim his first Major title in nearly five years and defeat […]

Roger Federer, who holds the Grand Slam record in men’s tennis with Nadal, announced through his agent that he won’t be playing the Australian Open this year. He is not in proper physical shape to compete yet. The Swiss maestro is still recovering from his knee injury and hopes to be ready at the end […]

From 2011-2020, Andy Murray has had the second best tiebreak winning percentage on the ATP Tour at 64.62% (second only to Novak Djokovic). This statistic shows that Murray is a cut above the rest when it comes to performing under pressure. Murray is such a clutch player – numbers like these make it apparent why […]

In tennis, there are some times where the player that wins the match didn’t win more points than their opponent. This situation of winning with fewer points rarely occurs but when it happens, the player who won the match is usually the one who managed better the difficult situations. Playing with the score and dealing […]

The 02 Arena in London hosted numerous great matches in its 11-year spell as the home of the ATP Finals. The 12 consecutive editions held in London from 2009-2020 is bettered only by the 13 hosted by Madison Square Garden in New York City from 1977-1989. Sustained quality, drama and tightness are all ingredients that […]